Aecom selected as lead designer on $3.6bn Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project

An aerial view of the Brent Spence truss bridge over the Ohio River while it was closed for repairs (Image: Adobe Stock)

Infrastructure consulting company Aecom has won a deal to act as lead designer for the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.

The project involves the reconstruction of five miles of Interstate 71/Interstate 75 in Kentucky, reconstruction of one mile of the I-75 in Ohio, and construction of a new companion bridge over the Ohio River, just to the west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge.

Construction companies Walsh Construction and Kokosing are leading the project in joint venture.

The project also calls for the renovation and rehabilitation of the Brent Spence Bridge, a double-decker, cantilevered truss bridge that carries I-71 and I-75 across the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

The contract is partially supported through a $1.6 billion federal investment from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

As the lead designer, Aecom will provide design and engineering leadership to deliver critical upgrades that address safety and traffic flow; increase capacity between the states, improve the complex interchange geometry; and upgrade the interstate multiple miles into Kentucky.

Aecom will directly perform design and provide project supervision services to lead a team of subcontractors that includes Jacobs Solutions and other engineering firms.

This project will be delivered using a delivery method known as “progressive design-build.” Unlike construction projects that typically use a lowest-bidder approach, the progressive design-build contract is awarded based on qualifications, the best overall approach and value.

Aecom said this would allow a regionally strong team consisting of many design and construction firms the opportunity to collaborate with the bi-state management team and local stakeholders and assess and mitigate risk early in the process.

Mark Southwell, chief executive of Aecom’s global transportation business said, “When completed, the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor, which was originally intended to handle only half of its current volume, will see drastically reduced traffic congestion while supporting access and connectivity to communities on both sides of the interstate highway.”